


Breathless

by sunmjau



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Feelings, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunmjau/pseuds/sunmjau
Summary: Something weighs heavily on Cassandra's chest. It's a culmination of many thing- mainly of guilt, regret, fear, and longing.
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	Breathless

**Author's Note:**

> This is set somewhere between Cassandra's Revenge and Race to the Spire. A special thanks to my friend OwlKnight for beta-reading and coming up with the title. This fic is dedicated to the folks in the Cassunzel Server!

There is a constant pain in Cassandra’s chest. It is something unseen and heavy as it compresses against her lungs with every breath, and she often finds herself heaving in as much air as she can, only to breathe out and feel like she is still suffocating. She fights through it, tries to focus on other things, and her ‘friend’ assists her in keeping her occupied. She gives direction and guidance, and Cassandra receives the satisfaction of respect that she desires, as long as she doesn’t stray from the trail her ‘friend’ has laid out for her. It’s not exactly clear where the path ends or what goal her ‘friend’ has in mind. She claims that it’s only in Cassandra’s good interest, and she vows that it will lead to granting her the power to exact revenge on those who have wronged her. But the destination seems structured on shaky foundations. Cassandra can’t bring herself to investigate her ‘friend’s true motives. They provide an excellent distraction from the weight that threatens to crush her heart. She hopes that the heaviness will fall in line with the unconscious act of breathing- forgotten but never ceasing to exist.

Cassandra sits perched upon the balcony of her tower. The wind is strong at this altitude and it whips through her hair. She tucks flailing strands behind her ear and looks into the distance. The setting sun bathes the castle of Corona in illuminating red-oranges, it seems to glow as it stands proudly amidst the smaller buildings that surround it. Several months ago she would have considered this kingdom her home, would have felt a sense of community with the people who kept it thriving and glittering and glorious. But as she gazes upon it, she now only feels the lashing burns of secrets and betrayal and disillusionment.

“I do enjoy watching the sun set,” the voice of her ‘friend’ looms behind her, but Cassandra doesn’t respond, continuing to look at the gleaming castle.

“It shines like a dying candle flame,” she continues, “the light grows dim as it succumbs to the horizon... And for all the power the sun commands during the day, the night never fails to conquer it,” She spits out the last words harshly, wrapped around a viscous smile unseen by Cassandra. The wind kicks up again and tousles her hair, obscuring her vision. She shakes her head and paws at her face in an attempt to push the hair from her eyes. The movement causes her head to tilt upward and she finds herself gazing at the vast blue sky that turns darker by the minute. A single white pinpoint of a star graces the empty heavens. She wonders, not for the first time, if an unloving mother would turn her eyes upon her with interest, now that she wields a power equal to one that the old crone had whisked away so many years ago. The Sundrop had been so precious to her mother that no hiding place would do except in the sky above the earth, side by side with its namesake. Were Gothel still here, would she see value in her own daughter and want to keep her hidden among the stars?

Cassandra had built her obsidian tower so high that she hoped it would eclipse the sun and cast a shadow over the kingdom. It was an act designed to jab specifically at Rapunzel- a mockery of her past, a threat on her future, and a means of presently turning the woman’s attention solely on _her_. Cassandra knew how to make her hurt. After all, Rapunzel had poured so much trust into the friendship she had with Cassandra. She was so willing and open. They had often found themselves alone in each other’s company during the evenings right before bed, which is when the princess would confide in her. Cassandra would spend the better part of an hour brushing her hair, then weaving in ribbons to keep it from tangling. It was a long process, but Rapunzel was always full of light and laughter. Cassandra remembers the silky texture of the ribbons and the soft river of hair as Rapunzel would talk of nothing and everything. Whispers of her hopes and dreams one night, and hushed confessions of her fears and doubts the next. Cassandra would listen to every word, every admission. She felt honored that someone would consider her worthy enough that they would bear their heart without hesitance.

Rapunzel’s love had been so easy to exploit to her benefit.

Cassandra frowns as she considers this thought, and she breathes in as deeply as she can, pushing back against the invisible weight on her chest. She stands and paces back inside. The room consists of cold black glass and dark blues, a stark contrast to the warm tones of the sunlit scene outside. She continues to attempt at getting a proper breath as she ascends the stairs to sit on an unyielding throne. The unbidden epiphany gnaws at her throat and she tries to swallow down the guilt before regret can have a chance to settle in. Her ‘friend’ traipses to the balcony, and looks down upon the landscape. 

“Weren’t you thrown out this window in your fight with Rapunzel?” her ‘friend’ speaks idly. She boredly picks at the lint on her apron, and without waiting for a response she continues, “it is rather interesting that she would subject you to the very same fate as your mother.” 

Cassandra ignites with fury and nearly jumps from her seat, standing straight back up. She inhales sharply.

“She didn’t-,” Cassandra protests, “Rapunzel would never-”

“Wouldn’t she?” her ‘friend’ quips back, and looks up at her with an unamused expression. Casandra lets out an unsatisfying breath, and her lungs are left wanting more than what can be provided. The more she is aware of it, the heavier the weight becomes. A golden trail of light passes through her mind. It leaves an afterimage that refuses to fade, and she shuts her eyes to block it out. She slumps back down against the obsidian. Her ‘friend’ saunters back to the base of the throne and speaks up once more.

“Rapunzel tried to dismantle every step you’ve taken to achieve your own destiny. She very nearly succeeded,” she looks pointedly at the window, which reveals the sky as it’s color begins to match the cool hues of the tower’s interior. “Aren’t you angry, Cassandra? She makes every attempt to stop you from what is rightfully _yours_. She will not even _acknowledge_ the rage you feel inside. She said so herself!” Beams of arcing yellow magic swirl behind her eyelids and she desperately tries to push it away. It’s replaced by sharp black points that dart up blindingly fast against a wall, barely missing their target. Cassandra leans forward and shuts her eyes tighter.

Her confession comes out in a shaky whisper, “I tried to kill her."

“You were protecting yourself! You were protecting what belongs to you and you alone. Besides, it would have been an impossible feat to accomplish. You may have your hard-won power over the moonstone, but it was inevitable that you would not be able to rely on it solely to defeat Rapunzel. Especially now that she has the fourth incantation in her grasp,” her ‘friend’ says.

A new worry threatens to constrict her airways. Cassandra puts a hand to her chest, fingertips brushing the small oval stone affixed to her heart. The pad of her forefinger strokes over the broken edges of the crack that strikes through the moonstone. Newly broken and jagged, it catches on her finger.

“What do you mean?” Cassandra asks warily.

“The Sundrop and Moonstone are two parts of one whole. It is known that they were a single entity before they parted and fell from the heavens. They are equally balanced despite their separation, and it is impossible for one to overpower the other.” Her ‘friend’ climbs the stairs as she speaks, and when she reaches level to the throne she leans on the armrest. 

“It’s not enough? Everything I’ve done up until this point and it was all for nothing?” A new kind of anger flares in Cassandra’s chest. She’s not sure if she can take yet another demanding emotion. She feels like she’s going to explode.

Her ‘friend’ bounces the toe of her shoe against the floor, “Not for nothing, Cassandra! It was necessary. You have learned to control the moonstone to bend to your will. But why stop there?” She places her hands over Cassandra’s, “If we are to destroy Rapunzel, then we need to tear down her defences, to rip away everything and everyone she holds dear. Just like she tore away your friends, your family, _your mother_. She has left you alone in the dark. But you have me. I am your friend. I have been hurt just like you, Cassandra. I feel your pain and betrayal. Dare I say we are like sisters, you and I.” An old angry flame lashes within her, and she looks up at her ‘friend’, her resolve renewed. Yes, this all started with Rapunzel, right? She’s the reason for Cassandra’s heartbreak. Right?

She thinks of a barefoot princess scrabbling for purchase against obsidian and a promise on her lips, broken the next moment by sunlight radiating from her eye sockets and followed by a command. Her anger at the princess feels like a hollow imitation to when she first reached for the moonstone. Cassandra turns stony at the memory, not to let weariness and fear be seen by her ‘friend’ anymore than it already has. Being vulnerable is not desirable, and her ‘friend’ is always quick to point out her weaknesses when they reveal themselves.

“What’s next?” Cassandra asks, void of emotion.

“You have power. But now you need control. Absolute and unwavering,” Her ‘friend’ gently pats Cassandra’s hand, a motion of reassurance. “It is getting late. Rest, and tomorrow I will lay out the plans for our next course of action.” She saunters away, leaving Cassandra alone in a dark room with darker and muddied thoughts.

  
  


Sleep is not welcome, but she succumbs to it regardless. Sleep allows her to evade emotional turmoil. Sleep allows her to hide from the world. Cassandra is beaten and broken, and she hides her injury like a wounded animal. She doesn’t want to acknowledge her wavering trust in her ‘friend’s true intentions. She doesn’t want to acknowledge her increasing doubts about herself, about whether the moonstone will really open her destiny to a myriad of possibilities. So she sleeps, because it allows her to forget, gives her a moment of peace if just for a moment.

That is, if it weren’t for dreaming.

They come to her intrusively without a care for her well-being. She dreams of the stars, of the distant heavens, and of two entities that dance around each other for as long as the universe is infinite. Their dance is interrupted and the eternal partners are savagely ripped apart from one another. They fall out of their place among the stars, through the sky and crash onto the earth. Cassandra feels their grief and sorrow of being separated, and she mourns their loss of each other’s company, even in dreaming. She knows the feeling.

Their desire to reunite overwhelms the dream and the scene before her folds and fumbles to a recent memory that is warped, as dreams often have that effect on real events of life. It has her holding her breath in anxious suspense. She dreams of a wrathful god who shines like the sun, her rays of light causing a dark shadow to be cast over Cassandra’s form. Her own light is a mere mimic of the sun, an afterglow of the goddess before her. She flings her hands up to shield her eyes, and as brightly as Rapunzel shines, her light flickers out unceremoniously. Her eyes adjust to the sudden lack of light, and she looks up. For the first time she feels as if her lungs are finally able to capacitate the right amount of air, and she tries to scream. But it comes out quiet, small and hoarse and terribly unsatisfying. She sees with horror of her attempt on Rapunzel’s life.

Pinned to the wall by pointed rock is the ethereal figure of the wrathful goddess, mouth in an 'O' of surprise as the stone steadily digs into flesh. Cassandra, as hard as she wills, cannot stop the black rocks from pushing further and further as they connect to the wall behind the woman. Ribbons of red gently cascade along a river of gold that pools below her feet. The sun's light sparks back into Rapunzel’s eyes and she utters in a broken whisper: "I will never stop trying to get through to you. I won't fight you. I won't justify your hatred."

Cass desperately presses her hands to her ears and shuts her eyes, but the whispering continues- a promise of reunion with her eternal partner.

"I will never stop trying to get through to you….

I will never stop trying....

I will never stop...."

Cassandra jolts awake but finds that she can't open her eyes or move yet. A memory from long ago grasps her suddenly. Of laughter and light, braiding Rapunzel's hair and weaving in ribbons as dreams and fears are whispered in her ear. The weight that Cassandra had been feeling on her chest all this time turns razor sharp and tears away at her inside. She longs for her destiny and for a mother’s love she’ll never know. She longs to give an apology, to make amends with her no longer best friend. She longs to reunite with a lover that was never hers to begin with. She lies there as she’s being torn apart, cries softly and her body shakes uncontrollably until the sun conquers the skies once more.

**Author's Note:**

> (kudos to anyone who caught all of my DW references idk why i'm like this forgive me)


End file.
